English Chess Forum

Most (nearly all I think) bridge clubs have their own venue. Its actually down to very simple economics :) I'd hazard a guess that in fact most bridge clubs don't own their own premises, though I suspect that a significant proportion of the larger and longer established clubs do. I'd agree though t...

Perhaps one needs to ask whether the grades are for the benefit of the players or the organisers.

I'm not certain of the appropriate phrase, but are you not losing intangible resources, insofar as the event (at all four levels) has become a joke, in view of its poor levels of participation? And as such actually damages the ECF's reputation? Difficult not to agree with that. The point of the Nat...

Yes because a) including games from junior only events may undermine the integrity of the main grading system, and b) grading systems (ECF or ELO) are not designed in a manner which offers encouragement to very weak or slow to improve players. There may be a case for abandoning any idea of a grade p...

1. No junior reductions for ECF gold/silver/bronze membership. 2. No junior reductions for ECF game fee. 3. All rapid play graded events only requires ECF bronze membership. 4. New ECF junior membership category for junior only events with a low membership fee. 5. No ECF membership requirement for ...

A few years ago I found myself defending a standard drawn K v K+P ending, and my flag fell, so I lost. As the arbiter was watching I asked as a matter of interest what he would have done had I made a 10.2 claim, and he said he would have ruled against me as I could still go wrong. This is what I hop...

In financial terms the success of the membership scheme cannot be judged until the amount of residual game fee to be levied is known, together with the proportion collected and the costs of chasing these monies. Although non-MO areas should have submitted guestimates of residual game fee together wi...

I have a fairly battered copy of Chess Masterpieces by H E Bird (1875). His preliminary remarks include "Although such a collection, having regard to the limited number of games, appears scarcely to admit of improvement, the Compiler would yet have been glad to have found a larger number of recently...

Going back a page or two, I would have thought that a refundable deposit should indeed be lodged when making a complaint. However the norm should be that the deposit is refunded regardless of the outcome of the complaint, except where the complaint is deemed to be merely an attempt to pursue a perso...

The various bodies responsible for submitting results for grading will have received information about the new arrangements. These make it clear that the grading of competitions will be on an all or nothing basis regardless of the ECF membership status of the participants. Consequently the District ...

But it comes down to what you mean by success or failure. In my book a successful membership scheme should 1) Raise at least the budgeted monies. 2) Not cause the office staff to look for other jobs for fear of having to repeat the associated tasks. 3) Be seen to be fair by the majority of players....

So, do the ECF not agree that they have issued an advertisement on their website which falsely represents the actual benefits which can be obtained by becoming a member ? ie : Stating members will receive unlimited grading of games whilst not mentioning that certain events will not be included for ...

M However the decision has been made, and I doubt that there is the appetite in most quarters for another change There's considerable appetite for more change, starting with the proposal to cut the ECF in two. Whilst I am well aware of plans to split the ECF in two I very much doubt that the averag...

My position on changing the funding of the ECF is that moving towards a structure that demands more from less active players and less from more active ones is far from my first choice. However the decision has been made, and I doubt that there is the appetite in most quarters for another change, so ...

I meant more clubs named after their founders Naming clubs as opposed to companies after oneself doesn't seem a particularly British thing to do, though Pete's Potentials figured briefly in the Bristol league. Adding the name of a founder at a later stage, particularly after said founder's death, m...